Beverage Holder and Methods of Making and Using the Same

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a beverage holder and to the methods of making and using the same. The illustrated embodiment of the invention can be made of a shell structure that may be made of four sections of material that are sewn and oriented together to form a beverage holder. The beverage holder has a cup for receiving a beverage container such as a bottle, can or cup. The beverage holder also has a mitt for receiving a hand of a user. The hand can be fully received within a cavity wherein it can fully grip, in 360 degrees, the beverage container. There can be a double lining between the beverage container and the user&#39;s hand. The double lining can be comprised of concentrically aligned sections of the invention.

This patent application claims priority on and the benefit of pending provisional application 62/500,714 filed May 3, 2017, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a beverage holder and in particular to a beverage holder having a double lining, and to the methods of making and using the same.

2. Description of the Related Art

Many beverage holders exist. Some Examples are shown in the following references.

U.S. Pat. No. D329,175 to Harber is titled Beverage Holder.

-   U.S. Pat. No. D506,105 to Cox is titled Beverage Holder. -   U.S. Pat. No. D627,131 to Adams et al. is titled Drinking Glove. -   U.S. Pat. No. D684,826 to Carter is titled Drink Holder. -   U.S. Pat. No. D732,351 to Bjarnadottir is titled Beverage Holder. -   U.S. Pat. No. D774,841 to Carter is titled Drink Holder. -   U.S. Pat. No. 4,414,692 to Dzierson et al. is titled Drinking Glove. -   U.S. Pat. No. 5,277,733 to Effertz is titled Method of Making     Insulated Jacket for Beverage Container. -   U.S. Pat. No. 6,000,058 to Iselin is titled Beverage-Holding Device. -   United States Patent Application Publication Number 2006/0065669 to     Cox is titled Sports-Themed Beverage Can Insulator and Holder. -   United States Patent Application Publication Number 2007/0256209 to     Adams et al. is titled Mixed-Use Drinking Glove. -   United States Patent Application Publication Number 2007/0277286 to     Gleeson is titled Insulated Beverage Holder.

None of these references shown the present invention. Thus, there exists a need for a beverage holder and the methods of making and using the same that solves these and other problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a beverage holder and to the methods of making and using the same. The illustrated embodiment of the invention can be made of a shell structure that may be made of four sections of material that are sewn and oriented together to form a beverage holder. The beverage holder has a cup for receiving a beverage container such as a bottle, can or cup. The beverage holder also has a mitt for receiving a hand of a user. The hand can be fully received within a cavity wherein it can fully grip, in 360 degrees, the beverage container. There can be a double lining between the beverage container and the user's hand. The double lining can be comprised of concentrically aligned sections of the invention.

According to one advantage of the present invention, the beverage holder is useful to maintain the current temperature of a beverage in a container received within the beverage holder.

According to another advantage of the present invention, the beverage holder has a mitt that helps to keep a hand of a user warm.

According to a further advantage of the present invention, the beverage holder can be made of a shell structure that is oriented together in a stable way to form a beverage holder. In one embodiment, the beverage holder can have four sections. The four sections can be made of four individual pieces of material sewn together.

The shell structure can have a single opening from the outside to the inside. This advantageously allows the shell to be sewn together when it is inside out, and then turned right side out after the sewing or fastening is complete.

The shell structure can be made of a soft material that folds easily. In one embodiment, the material can be fleece or another soft material.

According to a further advantage yet of the present invention, the oriented sections retain their position relative to each other during use. This is accomplished by having a concentric orientation between two of the invention sections.

Related, the concentric orientation of sections provides a double lining separating the user's hand from the beverage container. The user's hand can completely grasp, in 360 degrees, the beverage container which allows it to be securely retained by the user. The beverage container can also be manipulated or oriented by the user as the beverage holder is flexible.

The present invention can be manufactured in a relatively non-complicated process. In this regard, the pieces of material can be sewn in a manner wherein a shell is formed. The sewing can be done when the shell is inside out. Then, through an access hole, the shell can be turned right side out hiding the seams. The shell has four sections that can be oriented in a manner wherein the first and fourth sections form a double lining. The double lining provides enhances thermal separation between the beverage container and the user. It also provides enhanced structural stability to the beverage holder.

Other advantages, benefits, and features of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the detailed description of the invention and studying the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is similar to FIG. 1 but additionally shows a user's hand and a beverage container.

FIG. 3 is an opposite perspective view of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is an end perspective view of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is an opposite perspective view of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is a side view of a first piece.

FIG. 9 is a side view of a second piece.

FIG. 10 is a side view of a third piece.

FIG. 11 is a side view of a fourth piece.

FIG. 12 is a side view of the first piece and second piece connected together forming a first pair.

FIG. 13 is a side view of the third piece and fourth piece connected together forming a second pair.

FIG. 14 is an end view showing the first pair aligned with the second pair.

FIG. 15 is a side view of the first pair aligned with the second pair joined to form a shell.

FIG. 16 is a top view of the shell.

FIG. 17 is a side view of the shell shown with the ends of the second and third pieces at the midpoint of the side of the shell.

FIG. 18 is similar to FIG. 17 but shows a sewing sequence.

FIG. 19 is a view of the shell wherein it is oriented right side out.

FIG. 20 is a side view wherein the third piece and fourth piece are moved into the first piece and second piece, wherein the first piece is concentric with the fourth piece.

FIG. 21 is a side view wherein the first piece and fourth piece are received within the second piece and third piece so that a cup is formed within the mitt cavity.

FIG. 22 is a side view showing a beverage container received within the cup.

FIG. 23 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 23-23 in FIG. 22.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

While the invention will be described in connection with one or more preferred embodiments, it will be understood that it is not intended to limit the invention to those embodiments. On the contrary, it is intended to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

It is often desirable to hold with a person's hand 5 a beverage container 10 having a top 11 and bottom 12.

The present invention relates to a beverage holder 20 and to the methods of making and using the same. A preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in FIGS. 1-23. One preferred material is fleece. Yet, it is appreciated that other materials may be used without departing from the broad aspects of the present invention.

Turning now to FIGS. 1-7 and 22-23, it is seen that the beverage holder 20 has ends 21 and 22, respectively, sides 23 and 24, respectively, a top 25 and a bottom 26. A cup 30 is provided having an opening 31 along the top 25 of the beverage holder. The cup 30 can have two liners 32 and 34. Liner 32 has a bottom 33 that is a sealed bottom. Liner 34 is concentric with liner 32. The interior end of liner 34 is preferably unsealed or open. The beverage holder has a mitt 40. The mitt 40 has an opening 41 at end 22 of the beverage holder 20. The opening 41 opens to a cavity 42 having ends 43 and 44. The cup 30 is received within the cavity such that the full sidewall of the cup (360 degrees) is within the cavity 42. As seen in FIG. 2, a user's hand 5 can fully engage the cup 30 from within the mitt 40.

The beverage holder 20 can in one embodiment be formed from four pieces of material, namely a first piece 60, a second piece 70, a third piece 80 and a fourth piece 90.

The first piece 60 is illustrated in FIGS. 8, 12 and 14 either individually or with other components. The first piece 60 has a first side 61, a second side 62 and four edges 65, 66, 67 and 68, respectfully. The first piece 60 is generally rectangular and can have dimensions of approximately 6 inches by 13 inches. It is appreciated that the dimensions are illustrative only and can vary without departing from the broad aspects of the present invention.

The second piece 70 is illustrated in FIGS. 9, 12 and 14 either individually or with other components. The second piece 70 has a first side 71, a second side 72 and four edges 75, 76, 77 and 78, respectfully. The second piece 70 is generally rectangular and can have dimensions of approximately 8 inches by 26 inches. It is appreciated that the dimensions are illustrative only and can vary without departing from the broad aspects of the present invention. One side of the second piece 70 can decorative or contain a logo, picture or other item.

The third piece 80 is illustrated in FIGS. 10, 13 and 14 either individually or with other components. The third piece 80 has a first side 81, a second side 82 and four edges 85, 86, 87 and 88, respectfully. The third piece 80 is generally rectangular and can have dimensions of approximately 8 inches by 26 inches. It is appreciated that the dimensions are illustrative only and can vary without departing from the broad aspects of the present invention.

The fourth piece 90 is illustrated in FIGS. 11, 13 and 14 either individually or with other components. The fourth piece 90 has a first side 91, a second side 92 and four edges 95, 96, 97 and 98, respectfully. The fourth piece 90 is generally rectangular and can have dimensions of approximately 6 inches by 13 inches. It is appreciated that the dimensions are illustrative only and can vary without departing from the broad aspects of the present invention.

The first piece 60 and fourth piece 90 are preferably identical to each other. The second piece 70 and third piece 80 are preferably identical to each other.

Turning now to FIG. 12, it is seen that the first piece 60 and second piece 70 can be joined to form a first pair 100. To accomplish this, the center point of the top edge of the first piece 60 is aligned with the center point of the top edge of the second piece 70. The two pieces are sewn together to form the pair 100 having a seam 101. It is appreciated that while sewing is a preferred fastening technique to form the seam, that the pieces can alternatively be joined or fastened with other things such as adhesive (or depending on material, heat or sonic welding) without departing from the broad aspects of the present invention. The sewn seam can be approximately ⅝ inch from the edges.

Turning now to FIG. 13, it is seen that the third piece 80 and fourth piece 90 can be joined to form a second pair 110. To accomplish this, the center point of the top edge of the fourth piece 90 is aligned with the center point of the top edge of the third piece 80. The two pieces are sewn together to form the pair 110 having a seam 111. It is appreciated that while sewing is a preferred fastening technique to form the seam, that the pieces can alternatively be joined or fastened with other things such as adhesive (or depending on material, heat or sonic welding) without departing from the broad aspects of the present invention. The sewn seam can be approximately ⅝ inch from the edges.

Pair 100 and pair 110 are preferably mirror images from each other. Turning now to FIG. 14, it is seen how the pairs can be aligned for further assembly. The first piece 60 can be turned up relative to the second piece 70. The fourth piece 90 can be turned up relative to the third piece 80. Then, the first and fourth pieces are aligned and the second and third pieces are aligned, wherein the pairs 100 and 110 can be laid back with the second and third pieces being on the outside.

Turning now to FIGS. 15 and 16, it is seen that when the ends of the second and third pieces 70 and 80, respectively, are fastened together joining the first pair 100 and second pair 110, that it forms a continuous loop 115. It is preferred that the pieces are sewn. It is nevertheless appreciated that other fastening techniques can be used without departing from the broad aspects of the present invention. The loop 115 can be turned outside-in so that the exterior of the loop is smooth at the seams. FIG. 17 is a side view of FIG. 16, wherein it is seen that the seams between the pairs can be aligned in the along the midpoint when the loop is laid flat upon itself. In this regard, the first piece and fourth piece are at opposite ends of the loop wherein their respective midpoints are on the outermost and opposite points when the loop is laid flat.

Looking now to FIGS. 18 and 19, it is seen that the pieces can be further joined to form the shell 120. In FIG. 18, a first seam 121 with four parts 121A, 121B, 121C and 121D is made. Seam 121 is preferably a continuously formed seam. A second seam 122 is also made. After seams 121 and 122 are completed, the shell is formed with four sections 130, 131, 132 and 133. There is preferably only a single opening 123 to the interior of the shell 120. The opening 123 is formed along an unfastened edge of piece 90, which is also in the fourth section 133.

In FIG. 19, the shell 120 is turned right side out wherein the seam ends (extra portions of material, approximately ⅝ inch in a preferred embodiment) are all on the inside of the shell 120.

A further assembly step is illustrated in FIG. 20. The fourth section 133 and third section 132 are received within the first section 130 and second section 131. More specifically, the fourth section 133 is received all the way into the first section 130 so that they are concentrically aligned.

The next assembly step is illustrated in FIG. 21. In this step, concentrically aligned sections 133 and 130 are received into aligned sections 131 and 132. In this regard, the cup 30 is formed. The cup 30 is received within the cavity 42 of the mitt 40.

It is appreciated how the first piece of material 60 can form liner 32 and the fourth piece of material 90 can form liner 34. The inside liner 32 has a sealed bottom and the outside liner 34 is preferably not sealed, yet remains in place by being concentric with the other liner. It is further appreciated that the side of piece 70 containing the decorative material forms the exterior of the mitt 20.

Looking now at FIGS. 22 and 23, it is seen how a beverage container 10 can be received within the cup 30 of the beverage holder 20. The beverage container 10 is completely radially secured by the double lining of the cup 30. The finished dimensions are slightly less than 8 inches by 13 inches on account of placement of seams inwards a slight amount from the respective edges of the pieces.

A user can grasp the cup radially a full 360 degrees.

It is appreciated that the pieces and pairs can be pinned in intermediate steps for placement of the relative components relative to each other prior to being sewn.

Thus, it is apparent that there has been provided, in accordance with the invention, beverage holder and to the methods of making and using the same that fully satisfies the objects, aims and advantages as set forth above. While the invention has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments thereof, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the foregoing description. Accordingly, it is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications, and variations as fall within the spirit and broad scope of the appended claims. 

I claim:
 1. A beverage holder comprising: a cup with a cup axis; and a mitt with a cavity, said cup being received within said cavity.
 2. The beverage holder of claim 1 wherein said cup comprises a first liner and a second liner, said first liner and said second liner laterally, relative to said cup axis, separating a cup interior from said cavity.
 3. The beverage holder of claim 2 wherein said first liner has a first liner bottom that is sealed, said second liner is concentric with said first liner, and said first liner bottom alone separates said cup interior from said cavity in a direction parallel to said cup axis.
 4. The beverage holder of claim 1 wherein said mitt has an opening into said cavity and said cup can be fully engaged radially 360 degrees by a hand inserted into said cavity.
 5. The beverage holder of claim 1 wherein said beverage holder is made of flexible material.
 6. The beverage holder of claim 1 wherein said beverage holder is formed from a shell, said shell having four sections, wherein only one of said four sections has an opening there through.
 7. The beverage holder of claim 6 wherein said shell is formed from two pairs of material, each of said two pairs of material being a mirror image of the other of said two pairs of material.
 8. A beverage holder comprising: a cup with a cup inside and a cup axis; and a mitt with a cavity, wherein said cavity and said cup inside are separated by a double lining in a direction perpendicular to said cup axis.
 9. The beverage holder of claim 8 being created from a shell that is folded to form said beverage holder.
 10. The beverage holder of claim 9 wherein said shell comprises: a first section; a second section; a third section; and a fourth section, wherein only said fourth section has a hole between a shell interior and a shell exterior.
 11. The beverage holder of claim 10 wherein said fourth section and said third section are folded into said first section and said second section, wherein said first section and said fourth section are concentric.
 12. The beverage holder of claim 11 wherein said first section and said forth section are simultaneously moved into said second section and said third section to form said cup, said first section and said fourth section comprising said double lining.
 13. The beverage holder of claim 8 wherein said double lining comprises a first lining and a second lining, said second lining being concentric with said first lining, said first lining having a first lining bottom that is sealed.
 14. The beverage holder of claim 8 wherein said cup is radially engageable 360 degrees within said cavity.
 15. A method of making a beverage holder comprising the steps of: providing a shell having a first section, a second section, a third section and a fourth section; placing the fourth section and third section into the second section and first section, wherein the fourth section is concentric with the first section; placing the first section and fourth section simultaneously into the second section and third section, wherein said beverage holder having a cup with a cup inside and a mitt with a cavity is formed wherein the cup inside is separated from the cavity by a double lining in a direction perpendicular to a cup axis.
 16. The method of making a beverage holder of claim 15 further comprising the steps of: providing two pairs of material that are mirror images of each other; fastening ends of the two pairs together with two seams; aligning the two seams; and fastening tops of the two pairs and bottoms of the two pairs to form a shell.
 17. The method of making a beverage holder of claim 16 wherein the step of fastening tops of the two pairs and bottoms of the two pairs to form a shell comprises leaving an opening in the fourth section.
 18. The method of claim 17 wherein the opening in the fourth section is located at a bottom of the doubling lining in the beverage holder.
 19. The method of making a beverage holder of claim 15 further comprising the step of turning the shell inside-out prior to the step of placing the fourth section and third section into the second section and first section.
 20. The method of making a beverage holder of claim 15 further comprises the step of providing flexible material. 